Month: March 2023

British studio Foster + Partners has unveiled its plans to redevelop the waterfront of the resort town of Larnaca in Cyprus. The development, designed by Foster + Partners for Cypriot petroleum company Petrolina Group, will replace around two kilometres of oil refineries that were previously located on the waterfront to the north of the city’s centre. The

The post Foster + Partners reveals plan for Larnaca seafront appeared first on Dezeen.

Prefabricated wooden houses date back to the 19th century, when so-called “kit houses” became popular in North America. Sold by companies like Sears, they offered affordable and convenient housing options, especially for people living in rural areas where labor was scarce and expensive. Customers could choose from a few designs and dimensions, and the kits usually included all the materials needed to build the house, including numbered and precut lumber, nails, shingles, and other necessary components. For some time, however, prefabricated houses were seen as constructions of lesser quality and prestige, and coupled with the lack of flexibility of these solutions, they went into decline.

Pfaffenhofen is a small village near Heilbronn. It is characterized by an idyllic setting with a church, and half-timbered houses dating from the 16th and 17th centuries in the center of the village, with vineyards rising picturesquely in the background. The village center is now being redensified with a residential building in a cubature typical for the region, which is extraordinary in several respects. For one thing, the way it is built reflects the client’s mindset and area of work. As far as possible the aim was to realize a building that was ideally made from natural and renewable raw materials which can be re-introduced into the natural cycle.

Chiesi Group, a pharmaceutical company that focuses on research-based innovation, has prioritized the health of patients across all age groups for over 85 years. Seeking the development of the next healthcare landmark for innovation, they launched Restore to Impact, an international call to redesign the historic industrial site in Via Palermo, Parma. Open to two categories –Professionals and Under 30s– the competition aims to find innovative, evolutionary and transversal proposals that will be the basis for the guidelines of the future architectural building project.

For the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, the Bulgarian Pavilion will present the exhibition titled “Education is the movement from darkness to light.” Curators Boris Tikvarski, Bojidara Valkova, and Mariya Gyaurova, joined by Belgian photographer Alexander Dumarey, have chosen to focus the exhibition on the subject of depopulation, urban decline, and rural flight, expressed through the image of abandoned schools present in the country. The project was selected following a national competition organized by The Ministry of Culture, The Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria, and the Union of Architects.

CHYBIK + KRISTOF architecture studio has been announced as the competition winners for a new cultural landmark that will transform and re-activate public space in Ústí nad Orlicí, Czech Republic. This former textile factory will be converted into a multifunctional cultural hub available to the public. The newly revitalized building will contribute to the existing cultural infrastructure, located near the main square of the city.

Not all projects seek a constant connection with the outside, at least not in their front façade. Despite not being a usual appearance, there are several reasons for creating an opaque façade: privacy, security, reduced energy consumption, and protection against inclement weather. More common in government, cultural or religious buildings, this solution is also found in some residential cases.